THE ANIMATION OF HARRY SMITH

HARRY’S UNUSUAL LIFE Born 1923, Portland, Oregon Parents active in occultism -Claimed to be son of Aleister Crowley Compiled dictionary of Puget Sound Dialects A collector of Seminole textiles and Ukrainian Easter Eggs Produced and recorded The Fugs

…Continued proficient in Kiowa sign-language and Kwakiutl Compiled the Anthology of American Folk Music. Lived with Native American Indians Recorded peyote songs of Kiowa Indians. He was a friend of Allen Ginsberg

Anthology of American Folk Music 84 tracks Inspired the folk revival of the 50’s and 60’s reissue won 2 Grammys Inspired Bob Dylan Indian War Hoop is my favorite.

Harry Smith was also a fine artist.

ANIMATION Developed his own methods of animation, using stop motion collage techniques and, more uniquely, hand-painting directly on film. Often a single film required years of painstakingly precise labor. Fusion of color and sound are acknowledged as precursors of sixties psychedelia. His art explored synaethesia, a correspondence between color and sound and sound and movement.